


You Go Your Way

by uhpockuhlipz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 10:57:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10740306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uhpockuhlipz/pseuds/uhpockuhlipz
Summary: After Lena is nearly killed by Lillian's goons, Supergirl takes it upon herself to make sure Lena knows how to defend herselforThe story of where Lena learned to kick ass.





	You Go Your Way

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably terrible lmao but here, have it anyway. It was originally an answer to a prompt meme on tumblr, but it got long so I decided to post it here too. xx

**16\. Do you trust me? (Karlena)**

 

//

 

Kara really isn’t surprised to see Lena’s lights on still, though it’s nearly two in the morning. She usually finds Lena in her office long after the building is closed on nights she manages to escape death.

(Kara doesn’t want to think about how often an occurrence that is.)

She’d been in time to stop the space ship, she’d saved Alex and all the aliens on-board from being jettisoned back into space, and she owes that to Lena. She owes a lot to Lena. Lena, who’s pacing her office now with her arms folded and face set, talking into what Kara realizes is a head set when she lands on her balcony, just hard enough for the landing to be heard. Lena glances over and flashes a tired smile before waving her in, still talking into the phone.

“It’s two in the morning,” Kara points out once Lena ends the call, watching in amusement as she waves a dismissive hand.

“There’s always business to conduct on the other side of the world. So.” She removes the headset, placing it carefully on her desk before turning to face Kara with a fuller smile. “Supergirl. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Kara studies her, taking advantage of their nearness to take stock. Lena’s smile is polite and her eyes are focused, but they’re shadowed. Every near death experience caused by a family member does more and more damage and it’s wearing away at her, taking bits and pieces from her heart every single time. Lena wants to pretend she’s unaffected, she wants to pretend it all slides right off her back, but it doesn’t. All of that pain, all of that grief, slithers around her neck and shoulders like a serpent and if she keeps ignoring it, it’s going to choke the life out of her.

Her family will kill her if this keeps happening, one way or another.

“You should’ve punched those guys in their faces,” she mumbles and Lena’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Excuse me?”

“The guys. The ones that pitched you off your balcony?” She nearly shudders at the memory, but forces it back. She’s Supergirl right now, not Kara. She can’t let this feel personal. “You should’ve punched them.”

“I tasered one of them,” Lena points out with a jut of her chin, her arms folding across her chest again. “I don’t think punching them would’ve done all that much.”

“Sure it would. Here, punch me. Well. Pseudo-punch. I don’t want you to break your hand.” When Lena looks at her doubtfully, Kara gives a sigh of exasperation. “Come on, I’m like, a pro at punching. I’ll give you some pointers. Like... run for the door instead of your fifty-second floor balcony.”

Lena actually laughs at that and then sighs, straightening up as she holds her arms up, obviously lacking in confidence. And it’s… admittedly a mess. Kara bites her lip to keep from telling Lena she looks cute like this and instead reaches for one of her fists, uncurling her fingers.

“Don’t tuck your thumbs,” she murmurs. “You’ll break them.” And Lena’s staring at her and her heart is hammering and Kara isn’t sure she’s heard at all. Kara stares back, then manages to tear her eyes away and clear her throat. “Okay, go ahead.”

Lena jerks and then nods, tossing out an arm. Her form is sloppy and she does indeed pull it so that her fist barely connects with Kara’s arm. This time Kara can’t help the laugh. Lena huffs and drops her arms again.

“This is stupid,” she complains and Kara laughs more, shaking her head and reaching out to catch her wrist when Lena would’ve backed away.

“No, it isn’t. I had to see what we were working with. Gosh, Lena. The amount of attention you get, I would think you’d have taken some self-defense courses at the very least.”

“Not all of us can go around punching people,” Lena says somewhat dryly and Kara grins, completely unabashed.

“Not everyone,” she agrees. “But you should at least know _how_ to throw a punch.” She steps closer, doesn’t miss the way Lena’s breath hitches and her heart rate ticks up again. “Do you trust me?”

“Do I- what?”

“Do you trust me? I want to take you somewhere, but it’s kind of a secret somewhere so I’d need to blindfold you. So you’d really, really have to trust me.”

Lena tilts her head, silent, and Kara’s smile falters slightly.

“I mean, it’s okay if you don’t. I completely get it. We can just, you know, I never said anything and you can-”

“Stop.” Lena holds up a hand and shakes her head. “The answer is yes. Yes, I trust you.” She moves to her coat rack and fetches a silk scarf, offering it to Kara with raised eyebrows. “Tie me up, Supergirl,” she offers with a small, coy smile and Kara feels the flush spread up her chest to burn in her ears.

“Ah. Right. Okay.” She takes the scarf, biting her lips between her teeth as Lena turns her back to her in offer. Kara loops it over her head, murmurs something about telling her if it’s too tight as she carefully secures it over Lena’s eyes.

Then she’s scooping Lena up, grinning at her squeak of surprise and the arms that are suddenly tight around Kara’s neck as she flies them from the office.

 

//

 

“Kara.”

“Please, Alex.”

“This is a top secret facility.”

“I know.”

“For a top secret government agency.”

“I know.”

“One that has fought to take down her brother and her mother before.”

“I _know,_ Alex.”

“Well,” Alex drawls, voice ripe with sarcasm. “As long as you know.” She spins around and marches towards the door, shoving it open hard enough so that it smacks into the wall. Lena, sitting in a chair on the other side of it trying to pretend like she’s not staring at everything, jolts. “Well since you’ve got an official invite from Supergirl, I guess everything is in order.” She shoots Kara a dark look. “We just need you to sign some paperwork and then we’ll get started.”

“Started?” Lena looks doubtfully between Kara and Alex, brow pinched, expression uncertain.

“Agent Danvers has agreed to train you in self-defense,” Kara says brightly, ignoring Alex’s snort at the word _agreed._ “So you’re prepared the next time you’re… accosted.”

“She’s agreed to train me,” Lena says slowly.

“Yup.”

“At… nearly three in the morning.”

Kara winces a little. “Yeah. Weird agent hours. You know how it is.”

“I don’t actually.” Alex snorts out another laugh and Lena sends her a quick smile, glancing over the paperwork she’s handed. An NDA. It isn’t surprising, but Lena’s eyebrows lift anyway. “And if I don’t want the training?”

“Then you’re an idiot,” Alex says before Kara can speak. She shoots her sister a glare, but Alex is watching Lena, who’s watching her right back. “Hate to break it to you, Luthor, but you’re pretty high risk for getting your ass kicked or worse. How many times have you almost died in the last few months? The last few years?” Lena’s nostrils flare with a flash of temper. And then...

She signs the form with a flourish and passes it back.

“I’m a Luthor,” she says. “Luthors aren’t stupid.”

Alex inclines her head. “Fair enough.”

 

//

 

She takes Lena to the DEO twice a week to train with Alex, always at the weirdest hours, but she doesn’t watch the training sessions. She can’t because she’s sure something will happen to give her away as Kara, and so far she thinks she’s done a pretty good job at keeping it a secret.

She doesn’t get to see Lena actually employ her newly acquired skills until the nanobots, until Jack, until Beth. When Lena claims to have a better idea, Kara figures it has something to do with the computer nearby to where they stand. But instead Lena marches straight to Beth.

She watches her take a hit, then watches her land the other woman flat on her ass with two solid hits of her own, and there’s pride swelling in her chest even as she contends with the bots now swarming her.

“Did I ever mention I’m a Luthor?” Lena spits with a smirk and Kara nearly laughs.

She sees the elbow jab too (a move Alex had also taught her, back when they did combat training), and there’s a pang in her heart, distracting and not at all helpful in this moment.

 

//

 

She flies Lena home when the police are done with her, afraid to leave her alone but knowing Supergirl isn’t who she needs. Not when she’d just sacrificed someone she loves to save a woman wearing a crest she probably hates.

She comes back as Kara, though.

(Lena doesn’t seem surprised when she opens the door.)

They don’t talk. Lena walks back to her couch, expression blank, eyes staring at nothing. It’s dark. The only light is what comes in through her balcony doors, her windows.

Kara doesn’t try to remedy that. She looks at Lena and heads to her kitchen instead, packing ice into a bag. When she returns, she carefully takes one of Lena’s hands, studies the swollen, bruised knuckles before placing the ice onto them.

“Alex says never to aim for the face,” Lena whispers, “Because it’s the hardest part of the body.” She looks to Kara slowly. “But it was so satisfying, Kara.”

“It’s okay.” Kara takes Lena’s other hand, studies the swelling and bruising before pressing her lips gently to them. “It’s okay, Lena.”

Lena releases a shuddering breath and leans against Kara’s shoulder.

Kara hums quietly and continues to care for Lena in the dark.


End file.
